Vanessa looked at herself in the mirror, stroking softly a hickey on her shoulder. A rather large mark. No wonder, she and Nozel went a bit overboard yesterday.
It wasn't usual that she stayed with him during a whole day. Normally they would spent the whole night together, before she would leave in the morning. Sometimes early, sometimes rather late, because Nozel would order some breakfast for them in his room. Officially, just for himself, because whatever they had was still a secret.
One thing to say, the Silva chiefs of the Silvas were really good. They could actually hold a candle to Charmys cooking. Okay, Charmy was the best, but the Silva chiefs were easily number two in Vanessas books. Besides, she would never dismiss them. Charmy was very proud of her cooking, but hated for some reason when the other Black Bull dismisses other cooks because her cooking was the best. Apparently, if you dismiss someone's cooking, you also dismiss her. And other reasons. Charmys logic was very unique and didn't make any sense most of the time. But the point was made. Black Bulls always had to try food from other chiefs when they could and were forbidden to dismiss them just because Charmy was better, otherwise their little chief would put them on food timeout.
And Charmy was serious, it happened one time to Magna for one week. He was lucky that captain Fuegoleon had been kind enough to let him eat with the Crimson Lions during that time. Since then, no Black Bulls dared to dismiss any food that wasn't from Charmy. She might be proud of her cooking, but also has the highest respect for other cooks and in a way, it was actually admirable.
Well, as much as the breakfast was good, Vanessa was usually hungry for something else when she was spending time with Nozel.
And after he had some nightmare about his mother last night, it didn't felt right for her to leave him alone again. So, she stayed at his side until the early evening. They had made love again in the morning and since Nozel had insisted that he needed to go to work and follow his duties as a squad captain, she came secretly to the base of the Silver Eagles with him. That had been exciting, usually they only spent time together in his room.
Of course, no knight of the Silver Eagles had been aware that the Drunken Witch of the Black Bulls had been at their base today, in the company of their captain. Nozel mostly did his work in his office while she learned how a squad captain who wasn't Yami did his job. It was so different and Nozel even told her that each squad captain might have a different method to lead each of their squad.
That had been actually an interesting lesson for Vanessa. During that day, they mostly talked like they did so often, took some lunch in his office – Nozel almost seemed married to his work, but given what she learned about some Silver Eagles, it was kinda necessary – and in the late afternoon…
Vanessa blushed while looking in her mirror. That had been quite the most exciting moment of the day. Nozel and her had done it in his office.
That had been certainly rather bold of them. But the risk of getting caught had an exciting touch to it. At least for Vanessa. Nozel was a bit more worried about it, at least at the beginning. But just like her, he gave in to their usual pleasure.
Vanessa sighed, half happily, half resigned, as pulled herself away from the mirror and fell on her bed. The soft mattress squeaked under her weight.
There was a time when she thought that a soft mattress wasn't that big of a deal and that Noelle complaining about it was just Noelle being Noelle. But since Vanessa came to the luxury of Nozels king-sized bed and the neither too hard nor too soft mattress of his, she came to finally understand her younger squadmate.
Although that kind of mattress wasn't just good to have some proper sleep…
Nozel was truly an amazing lover. For a just sex relationship, he always made sure that she was feeling fine, he respected her wishes, her preferences – to a point that often he was almost neglecting his own pleasure, so that Vanessa always made sure to give him the same kindness back – and damn, even outside the bed he was a true gentleman. Getting a warm bath ready for her when it was raining, making sure she got something to eat when she was hungry, listening to her rants and talking to her…
Vanessa grew to love being with him, their time together was precious to her, just like all her time spent with the Black Bulls, her family. And it was even unique, since that time together was something she could only have with Nozel.
She didn't want to lose it.
And that was a point that sometimes scared her a bit.
Vanessa usually wasn't afraid of losing people she cared for, Rouge was there. But with Nozel, it was another situation, not one she could maintain just with her little Fate-binding spell.
Also, for someone who only lived in the present, Vanessa actually thought about the future a lot when it came to Nozel. Spending time with him made her slowly realize that royalty was bound to duties. Her talks with him made that clear.
It was so weird. When Noelle had tried to explain it to her, Vanessa just brushed it off, not considering this as important. But with Nozel, she got a glimpse into another world than hers and even though she still tried to ignore it most of the time, she had a lot of thoughts about royalty when it came to her bond with Nozel.
Of course, Vanessa still didn't understand how this world was working, why it was so complicated. She didn't asked Nozel a lot about it and even he was not eager to talk about royalty.
It's a horrible world and I don't want you to be corrupted by it.
Those were his words, a clear indicator how he felt about his own world. But while he might not like it, he knew his duties like the back of his hand and Vanessa came to understand enough that even a Head of House like him wasn't totally free just because he was in charge. And that arranged marriages were a thing. Before Nozel, Vanessa had thought that this was just an urban legend or an exaggeration, something Noelle and Finral did a lot when they were nervous or when they tried to explain royalty and nobility.
But now, she knew that it was a thing. And that Nozel hated adultery. When he was talking about his work and when he had to deal with that kind of marital issues earlier that day, it was pretty clear.
And all this knowledge made Vanessa realize something. If Nozel ever got himself into an arranged marriage, their meetings might end altogether.
And Vanessa didn't want them to end, as selfish as it was.
But not only that. Vanessa knew enough to come to the conclusion that arranged marriages weren't bound with happiness. Why would they? And Nozel, despite all his flaws and all of his mistakes, was still a good man. A good man with the heart at the right place who had been terribly broken in his life. He deserved to be happy.
Her wish was simple, but the situation was somehow really complicated. Vanessa never found herself into such a place before. She even never thought that it was possible. With the Black Bulls, everything seemed so simple and easy. At least to her. Finral and Noelle and even vice-captain Nacht always reminded others that life wasn't simple, that there were consequences to face, that just because something was fine for the Black Bulls doesn't mean that it was also fine for everyone.
They were right of course and Vanessa knew that. But she never had been this aware of it. She had the habit to ignore what was bothering her, like her past for example, and she never cared too much about the future. Maybe she should start to care, at least a bit? Finral once told her that if she continued to ignore things that could upset her, she was at risk to lost grasp of reality and then changes will end up overwhelm her, while she wouldn't be ready for it. Was he right?
Vanessa wasn't really against change, but she also wasn't really fond of it. The life she found when she was free from the cage, with the Black Bulls, it made her happy. She didn't want to lose it, she didn't want it to change.
But at the same time, changes were part of life, even for the Black Bulls. Finral was now officially engaged to Finesse, Noelle was closer to her siblings, Magna got stronger like he always wanted, Gauche and Grey grew closer…
Changes were also part of her own life. Wasn't the freedom she got after years in the cage a change in her life as well? And when she got Rouge? When she trained her magic, when she actually got hope for more thanks to Asta and when she started to be a proper Magic Knight instead of just being drunk and laidback?
Heck, wasn't everything she had with Nozel also a change in her life?
Yes, it was true. Her life with the Black Bulls changed, it was never the same as when she came out the cage and captain Yami threw a Black Bull robe at her. It will continue to change. Was she able to accept those changes, though?
Not all changes could be good or beneficial. But if getting out of the cage and tasting freedom taught Vanessa anything, then that even though she can't avoid change, she was still free to choose how to deal with it. Like Finral told her.
Now, she didn't want to lose what she had with Nozel. It was just… she didn't understood it and Vanessa never liked uncertainty. She might have ignored that question a lot over the past year. But if she was true to herself and if she wanted to not lose it, Vanessa knew that she needed to think about it.
Which was of course easier said than done.
"Oh, Nozel…"
Vanessa closed her eyes as she whispered his name and fell back on the mattress. Her eyes were on the ceiling, but she didn't looked at it. Nozel…
It felt so right to whisper his name, to feel it caress her lips. It was maybe not a common name, but it was a pretty one. Oddly enough, Nozel sounded similar to Noelle. Had the late Acier Silva done it on purpose?
At first she had thought that he was cold and mean. But then, Noelle grew closer to him, forgave him and Vanessa trusted her squadmate. So, she realized that Nozel being cold and mean was more a mask than anything.
During their meetings, she met someone else behind that cold mask. A surprisingly caring man, humble and selfless without showing it at all, a broken man who was still standing despite everything and who seemed so terribly lonely.
His loneliness reminded of her own, back in the cage…
He didn't felt lonely with her, at least Vanessa hoped that he wasn't. But she could see in his eyes that he carried a heavy burden. The worst was, he seemed used to have a burden. He certainly didn't ignored it, he was just used to carry it. How can someone be used to have a burden?
Vanessa knew why Nozel felt that way, after all she managed that he could open to her a bit. But not entirely. She might knew that the loss of his mother had been terrible for him and that after eighteen years, he still wasn't quite over it. But the details? She had no idea about them. Nozel didn't seem ready to talk about it completely and Vanessa just didn't want to poke it out of him.
After all, even though she opened up to him as well, it also wasn't fully. The cage…
Oh, Vanessa could see that Nozel was quite curious about her roots as a witch and it flattered her. But he was also holding back, for which she was grateful yet. Talking about the cage was still difficult. She was over it, of course. At least, Vanessa hoped so. But it was still difficult. There was a reason why the other Black Bulls didn't learn about her past from her, Yami didn't seem to care about her past since he also even didn't seem to care about his own and she was almost certain that Zora and vice-captain Nacht still ignored about her past. And Nozel wasn't even a Black Bull.
And yet, Vanessa still considered to tell him about her past one day. Just a very blurry consideration, not thought through and if she could, she mostly ignored it. But it was there, silently haunting her thoughts…
Vanessa came to trust Nozel, to a point that she trusted him as much as the other Black Bulls. He just happened to have a unique place in her life, given what was between them… whatever it was.
How strange. When she was alone, like right now, Vanessa couldn't help but think a lot about Nozel, about their time together, about that mysterious bond between them. Was it really that mysterious or was it just her who kept it that way?
Vanessa sometimes had the feeling that she was afraid of the answers. She almost felt upset with herself about that fact. After all, she was a Black Bull, proud and daring. She shouldn't be afraid of the truth, whatever it was, and she learned to face upsetting things with bravery since Asta joined and gave them hope.
But could it be that she was just ready to face upsetting things when it concerned her whole squad, when she was with all the other Black Bulls, when it was for her found family? Because when it came to herself alone…
Gosh, Vanessa hated to have complicated thoughts, especially when she couldn't at least one satisfying answer. She immediately wondered how Nozel would face similar thoughts, how he would act upon it.
Nozel…
Her thoughts always came back to him. Vanessa didn't mind. As unsure she was about what there was between them, thinking about the captain of the Silver Eagles always felt so right, so wonderful.
How weird was it that she became that attracted to him? He wasn't her type, but maybe that didn't meant anything. Vanessa always thought that buff men was her type, which has mostly to do with her old crush on captain Yami. A topic she didn't really like to think about anymore.
Nozel wasn't buff, that's for sure. But he wasn't a beanpole either, like captain Jack, may he rest in peace. Nozel was still muscular, just in a more lean way and it was incredibly sexy. He had long legs, the kind that make his walking and his movements automatically graceful. His fingers were long and elegant, it was so wonderful when caressed any inch of her body with those. His face was also elegant, oval and delicate, but still proud and sharp. Vanessa loved his jawline and his profile in particular. Nozel was apparently considered as one of the most handsome men in the Clover Kingdom and she was now definitely agreeing with that statement.
Vanessa actually loved that Nozel also had purple eyes just like her. But his shade was really unique. That bright metallic lilac seemed piercing and cold, but also soft, his eyelashes were subtle but long and his pale skin had a softness she never saw with any other man. Not to mention that the paleness didn't make him look sick, but shining. Maybe not like the sun, but more like the moon. A better fit for the Silvas.
And his hair… Oh, his hair! Of course that braid was iconic and it wasn't surprising that many people actually made fun out of it. Nozel was not even surprised about it. But that frontal braid didn't look ridiculous on him, it was actually cool in a way and refined. Nozel was probably the only man she knew who could pull of such an extravagant hairstyle without being ridiculous and as the occasional hairstylist of the Black Bulls, Vanessa couldn't help but admire that. It actually gave him some eagle look and as the captain of the Silver Eagles, it was actually fitting. Plus, his hair was surprisingly thick and silky, so different than what it looked like. It was like that naturally, he never used any hair products to make it look like that. Like he said, a shampoo and a conditioner was enough for him. Vanessa could spend hours gliding her fingers through his hair.
Nozel might be not her type, maybe types were even just an urban legend. But he was certainly the most handsome man Vanessa knew.
And to crown his hidden but kind nature and his incredibly good looks, he was an amazing lover. Vanessa blushed as she remembered all their nights and embraces, be it wild or soft, but she loved each second she spent in his arms.
He was always so considerate, he gave her so much, to a point that she needed to watch out that he didn't neglect his own pleasure. His kisses were sometimes soft, sometimes intense, but they always left her senseless. And he was always so considerate even afterwards, letting her taking a shower or even a bath in his private bathroom after they made love and instead of asking her to leave immediately, he let her rest and sleep in his bed. Vanessa loved cuddles and Nozel was giving her all of that, so it was actually perfect.
Perfect…
He was a true comfort for her when she was feeling down. Especially after everything that happened with Lucius Zogratis. And she hoped that she was also a comfort for him. She would be a horrible and selfish person if she would practically use him for her own pleasure and Vanessa didn't want that.
Should she visit him later today? Wouldn't that be too bold? After all, they didn't only met to have sex with each other and sometimes they spend weeks with just innocent talks before they got into each other's arms again.
"Oh, Nozel… Nozel."
His name was so sweet…
Okay then. Even if it was too bold, she still wanted to see him. Their situation certainly was blurry and complex, but at least being with him was something she clearly wanted. Vanessa liked to believe that nothing could ever change that.
"TIME TO EAT BREAKFAST!"
Vanessa jumped as Charmys loud voice took her away from her thoughts and daydreams about Nozel. She was of course a bit upset, but well, no one knew about her strange affair with Noelles brother. Of course Charmy couldn't be aware that Vanessa had daydreams about the captain of the Silver Eagles.
For Charmy, if a daydream wasn't about food, then it was a waste of time. But… Vanessa remembered that Nozels favourite food was roasted duck. Maybe, if Charmy catches her daydreaming, all she need was to pretend that she was thinking about roasted duck?
Vanessa stood up. Charmy was always very upset when someone came late to breakfast. Or to lunch. Or to dinner. Practically to every kind of meal, even those that weren't even official. She better get a grip of herself and go down.
Their guests from captain Yamis homeland would also be there, as they were now guests of the Black Bulls. Vanessa hadn't been there when captain Yami had announced it officially, since she had been probably in Nozels arms at this moment. But she was still excited about it, the Black Bulls never had guests and those were even staying for a rather long, still undetermined period of time.
She already had met a bit captain Yamis younger sister, Ichika. And had been confused that Yami was the actual family name, not Sukehiro. It was still a bit confusing and their captain wasn't really helping on that matter.
Ichika seemed a bit different than her brother. Of course, she had a glare that was the same as captain Yamis, but she wasn't laidback at all and apparently, she had no toilet problems. But what really took Vanessa aback was that the siblings were a bit distant with each other, as if they had no idea how to talk. Okay, they were separated for years, but shouldn't they have been happier to be reunited? It was weird, but hopefully it was nothing terrible. Vanessa was actually looking forward to know more about Ichika.
The girl named Komari was totally someone Vanessa would get along with. She had a great fashion style and was very chipper. As for the two men, Yosuga and Ryudo, they were kind and certainly good people. And good-looking, a bit more her so-called type. But when she met them yesterday, Vanessa immediately compared them to Nozel in her head. And Nozel Silva still won against two men that were more her type. Maybe she just always pretended that buff men was her type? Wouldn't be the first time…
Anyway, Vanessa needed to run if she didn't want to be late for breakfast and risk Charmys wrath. Last time it happened, Noelle had been on cooking duty for a week and this had been hell. So, she left her room and run towards the dining room of the Black Bulls.
Would Nozel one day have breakfast with her squad?
One thing that was certainly fascinating when you were visiting a foreign country, was to learn the differences in cultures. Especially when it came to the food and how differently people could eat in two different countries.
Ichika knew knives and spoons, but forks was definitely more foreign. And she was very used to have sticks for most of her dishes, at least those she knew, but sticks weren't even a thing in Clover, it seems.
But the foreign food was still delicious and Ichika didn't want to be like a spoiled brat. After all she was a guest here, this was the squad of her brother, she was here on a mission and any disrespect like this would be dishonourable also towards Ryuya-sama and the country of Hino. Even more so after everything that had happened.
So, she took knife and fork, looked at the eggs and bacon in her plate, and started to cut.
Eggs and beacons were at least a dish she knew. Some food were still the same in other countries. Besides, she didn't want to upset Charmy, the little chief of this strange squad that looked so terribly similar to the Ochaamii. Komari, Yosuga, Ryuya-sama and Ichika herself had been very surprised to meet her. Even more, Charmy loved food to an exceptional level, which made the similarity with the Ochaamii even more surprising and confusing. But her brother didn't seem bothered at all.
Ichika side-glanced at her brother, who was sitting at the other side of the table, drinking a brewage the people here called coffee and reading a strange paper he called newspaper. Practically some kind of roll with the latest news printed on it. Ichika didn't know yet what she could think about it, but it seems like a pretty neat invention. Ryuya-sama seemed pretty invested in it, taking another example to read it himself and Komari took some interest as well when she saw that there was a section entirely dedicated to fashion.
Sukehiro seemed unbothered and his Ki was also rather calm, but Ichika could sense that he wasn't completely at ease.
Ichika didn't need to read Ki to know that this had something to do with their reunion. At least it was part of it. She understood that. After all, she was in a similar situation. It was so terribly difficult to talk to him and given all the reasons, all the issues, all the unexpected turn of events, it was almost scary.
They would need to talk, Ichika knew that. There was no reason to ignore that fact and it was fair to assume that the apprehension of that talk might be more terrible than the talk itself. But Ichika still felt very apprehensive. There was already so much to do, to help, to repair. What were personal issues compared to what the world went through barely a few days ago? And at the same time, it felt just as important.
Sukehiro and her haven't gotten the occasion to exchange more than a few words calmness came back. It wasn't like they tried to avoid each other. At least Ichika hoped that they weren't. But she couldn't say that they were searching each other's presence either. Their respective Kis were so confusing right now.
"Luck you bastard, stop trying to take my chocolate toasts away from me!"
"Fight me, Magna, the winner will eat the chocolate toasts!"
"What? No way, those are MY toasts, I won't let you have it!"
"Don't you dare play with the food!"
"Can I have the milk, please?"
"Oh, do you see this dress! The fashion in this country is top notch!"
"Charmy… those… chocolate… are… absolutely… delicious."
"Can someone pass me the milk?"
"Noelle, sweetie, you are drinking another huge bowl of hot chocolate again."
"For Heaven's Sake, Vanessa, I need my three bowl of hot chocolate every morning, you know that?"
"Oh, ya want the honey, little blue one? There ya go."
"T-thank you, sir Y-Yosuga… Ah, it's s-so e-embarassing!"
"Can I have the fucking milk?"
"Yami, old friend, I see that this newspaper is from last week. I guess with everything that happened, those who write them had also have to rebuild their business."
"Yeah, probably. I guess that for those journalists, it's just that- … For fuck's sake, you stupid brats, STOP BEING SO LOUD DURING BREAKFAST!"
"I just want the fucking milk!"
"Oh, there you go, Gauche, why haven't you said anything before?"
"Don't be an idiot, Finral, I was asking for the milk three or four times already!"
"ARGH, LUCK, NOT MY CHOCOLATE TOASTS!"
"Fight me for the toasts, Magna! Hm, they are really good!"
Ichika rolled her eyes. Asta might have said that their squad was like a family and yes, it could feel nice, she'll admit. But still, what a loud chaos.
She was more than relieved that some members of her brother's squad were actually calm. Like Nero, that stoic girl with the horns, and Gordon, who was one of the kindest here despite the rather exotic face.
And Nacht…
Ichika couldn't help but subtly glancing at him. Easy, he sat right in front of her, drinking black tea, eating toasts with honey, looking he was unbothered by anyone but judging them with his small smile.
So different from the man she saw yesterday, alone in the vegetable garden, just letting tears flow down his face. But the Ki was still the same.
And for some reason, it pierced her heart.
How much does he love his brother that fighting and losing him for a second time pained him so much that he rather cried alone than confiding into someone?
Would she have been like this if she was in her shoes? If she had to face her own brother like this and losing him when they defeated they defeated the evil mastermind? Maybe… She wasn't sure. The relationship with her brother was so confusing right now, given everything that happened in the past.
And she still had so many questions about that. What happened, why did her brother and Ryuya-sama decided to pull something that maybe saved her, but still hurt her for years, while she had been unable to let go of her wrath?
Asta didn't know still the truth, for him it just had been a misunderstanding. What a nice word to something that was complicated and horrible. She almost wished to have such a simple and innocent vision of the world.
Did anyone knew about Sukehiros past here in Clover? Did anyone of his own squads knew?
Did Nacht knew?
And now her thoughts were on Nacht again. She thought quite a lot about him, for someone she just met and didn't really know yet.
He suddenly looked up, which made Ichika focus back instinctively on her own plate. That was kinda awkward and she was not familiar with the feeling. Nacht probably couldn't read Ki. But even if he was, what must he think of her, staring at him like she was some kind of crazy woman?
And why was this suddenly so important to her?
Thankfully the awkwardness didn't last long, as Ryuya-sama spoke, guiding the attention of everyone towards him, even though he was mostly talking to Yami.
"I have some questions about the urgency meeting this afternoon, old friend."
"What, there is a meeting today? Why have no one told me?"
"Can I come too? I wanna fight strong people again!"
"Can I have my own meeting with Marie and can I take Grey with me? I need to check on my little angel sister and it's not good for Grey to be alone."
"If you are going to the capital, captain Yami, I wanna come too, I need to see if the food and the restaurants are fine, this is high priority!"
"For fuck's sake, you dumb brats! Stop this damn shitty babbling, I need to give a proper answer!"
How vulgar. Had Sukehiro always been like this before or did he took this habit when he came to Clover?
Like always, Ryuya-sama wasn't bothered at all, he just smiled while he asked, "Since it's going to be an urgency meeting, I would like to know who will be there and how to act. Ya know, stuff like that. I want to make a good impression, of course, but I even more want to offer help from Hino towards yer kingdoms. Especially to the Clover Kingdom, since the main fight happened here. as for the future, I don't think that it will be bad to make alliances with Clover, as well as Spade, Heart and Diamond. Hino was kinda apart from other countries for centuries and I want to change that."
Ichika just nodded. It was true that Hino only looked after itself for so long. It certainly might have helped them, but opening up to other countries was certainly the right thing to do. Not only because of everything that happened, but also in general.
Sukehiro just nodded, unbothered and shrugging. He was probably not really into politics. Okay, politics wasn't always a fun subject, but shouldn't he care a bit more about it, as a squad captain?
Since her brother took his sweet time to answer, Ichika decided to push him a bit. "Sukehiro, could you please tell us who will be there and what we can expect from those people, like the attitude or their views?"
She might have sounded a bit cold and she almost flinched when she saw that a lot of the Black Bulls were looking at her in surprise. But not Nacht. He actually had a small smile on his lips.
It was a nice smile…
Sukehiro just looked at her quite confused, but then just shrugged. "'kay then. Well, since it's a rather special meeting, it won't be only the other captains, but also the rulers of Clover and the other three kingdoms. So, king Augustus would be there, but he is a pain in the ass and very arrogant. And lazy. To keep it short, he is full of himself and well, very insulting too. I don't think that he would be open to have some alliances with you. My captain colleagues, especially Hard Nose and Bird Braid, will make sure that he won't throw the offer away, but duh. Don't expect anything directly from him. It is a real shame that old man Julius isn't here anymore, he would have accepted your offer before ya would even started to offer the deal. Ya would have gotten along. As for the other three rulers… meh, I don't know them, so who cares."
"Captain Yami!"
A few Black Bulls immediately protested, but Ichika noted that everyone felt genuinely sad when her brother mentioned the man called Julius. The one they called Wizard King, in a way the Shogun of Clover.
Julius Novachrono, the one who shared a body with Lucius Zogratis. Such a unique case in the world, just like Asta who was born without any magic.
Asta sometimes told about Julius Novachrono and from what Ichika gathered, he seemed like an honourable man. A bit like Ryuya-sama. Ichika would have liked to meet him. Apparently, he had also been the one to become a father figure for her brother.
"The queen of the Heart Kingdom is called Lolopechka," the young girl named Noelle was currently explaining. "She would certainly accept your alliance offer, lord Ryudo, she is someone very kind. But also clumsy, I have to say. You can certainly trust her, just make sure that you also talk to her husband, lord Gadjah. As for the current monarchs of Spade and Diamond… Sadly, I don't know them that well, so I can't really tell you anything about them."
"Oh, don't apologize, Noelle-sama, I highly appreciate your input."
"I can give you some intel about the queens of Spade and Diamond," Nacht said and Ichika suddenly felt like she was sitting straight. It wasn't like she never heard him before. But still, his soft and smooth voice had somehow a particular charm.
"The current ruler of the Spade Kingdom is queen Ciel. Her son is vice-captain of the Golden Dawn, another squad. Spade went through dark times until recently and it's still in recovering. But queen Ciel is a very competent ruler and she certainly wouldn't be against having some affairs with Hino as well. After years under the rule of darkness and devils, Spade definitely needs more partners. I know queen Ciel a bit, I was a spy in Spade during those dark times."
"Yeah, and you were neglecting your duties as my vice-captain, you jerk."
"Not as much as you were neglecting your duties as a Magic Knight captain. And my time as a spy was still for the Clover Kingdom, remember?"
Both Nacht and Sukehiro were glaring at each other, but still smirking. Ichika frowned. She could tell from their respective Kis that they were getting along, but there was still a bit of a tension. What could this possibly mean?
But Ichika couldn't continue her train of thoughts, because the young man named Magna immediately stood up on his chair and pointing an accusing finger at Nacht. From his Ki, Ichika could tell that he didn't like his vice-captain that much. "Take your words back, vice-captain Nacht! Captain Yami is NEVER neglecting his duties as a captain!"
"Oh, as your father figure or brother figure, he surely doesn't miss, that I'll admit. But when it comes to his duties as a captain, how many times has delegated paperwork and such to some of you? And how many times has he lost money and sometimes his grimoire at the gabbling table? Not the mention that the finances of our squad are still really wobbly and uncertain. Am I right, Finral?"
"Yeah, I have to admit that this is all true."
"Finral you traitor, don't agree with the vice-captain! Hey, miss Ichika, please help me defend your brother!"
Ichika went stiff. She didn't show it, her face was stoic as always, but something triggered her as Magna asked her for help to defend her brother. It was… she didn't know what to do, what to say. Was she expected to defend Sukehiro no matter what? Would the Black Bulls be mad at her if she dared to critic something her brother did? She hasn't forgotten how angry Asta become when she told him about the massacre of the Yami clan. At least, the version she came to believe, the version Sukehiro and Ryuya-sama had agreed on. But was this the same as defending her brother's gambling habits? She didn't even knew that Sukehiro was now a gambler, as far as she can remember, he always disliked bets and money games like that. Has he changed his mind while he lived in Clover?
The only ones realizing that Magnas question triggered something in her were Ryuya-sama, Sukehiro and Nacht. He even looked at her with subtle surprise, but not judging at all. On the contrary, it was almost like he could understand. As if he knew that not defending her brother is something more complex, it wasn't because she hated him. At least not anymore. And even then, her hate was probably due because of how hurt she was.
Ryuya-sama laughed, stopping the tension before it could even start. "Haha! I have to say, Sukehiro, I'm surprised that you like to gable now. You always seemed to hate it, during our childhood back in Hino."
"What, captain Yami hated gabbling before?"
Magna and many other Black Bulls looked at Sukehiro with shock. Goodness, was it such a big surprise that he didn't like gamble before?
But at least, the attention wasn't on her and Ichika couldn't help but sigh quietly in relief. Well, not that quiet, Nacht looked at her with an enigmatic smile. And now, his Ki was unreadable.
Why was this slightly getting on her nerves?
But Nacht quickly looked away as Ryuya-sama asked him about the ruler of the Diamond Kingdom, to which he answered immediately.
"The monarchy of the Diamond Kingdom is… complicated. There were some trouble for years, especially with the urge and the stupid tradition of strength, not to mention other things. The last king was terribly corrupt and cruel, but he was practically hold in check after Spade was saved from the devils. He died shortly after the first attack of Lucius Zogratis and his line ended with him. The Diamond Kingdom is exhausted of their past full of fights and after what happened these last few days, it seems that they're definitely ready to change, to rebuilt their country. I'm not that certain, it's just from what I gathered and heard, when I had to do in Diamond during the past year. The current queen is a great-niece of the last king, from another branch and another house. They lost a lot of royals over the years, it's rather complex, today the survivors are mostly young children. Her name is Lavendel Neuschwanstein and she is only eleven years old. I can't say more for now, I don't know her really, but hopefully she is well advised and would accept your alliance."
Eleven years old only and already in charge of a whole kingdom? After the world practically witnessed the apocalypse? Poor little girl. Ichika hoped that this young queen Lavendel was good advised and not taken advantage of.
"Thank ya, Nacht-sama. Those information are already helpful. And what about yer captain colleagues, Yami old friend? Would they be open to my offer?"
"Yeah, probably. Well, for the Golden Dawn, there is or was Goldie Guts-"
"William Vangeance," Finral rectified.
"Yeah, whatever. He is rather nice, probably very open to any kind of people and the kind of being good to others, never for himself. Goldie Guts will certainly accept your offer. Then, we have the Crimson Lions and their captain Hard Nose-"
"Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion!" Magna yelled and given from his Ki, he seemed to like that captain."
"Yeah, you hear, he has a long and ass-complicated name. He is very serious, too serious, but he's fine. Hard Nose has a lot of respect for Asta, so that means he's really fine. He's a bit the one who speaks for all of us during those boring meetings and respect is his second name, he'll definitely be open to make affairs with ya. And at least he's calm, unlike his sister, Sisgoleon-"
"Mereoleona Vermillion!"
"Yeah, another complicated name, that's why I call her Sisgoleon. Don't go near her, she is a scary fire beast."
"Fire beast?"
Ichika almost chuckled as Yosuga seemed suddenly interested, eyes shining passionately. Oh, there was it again, his crazy dream about meeting a strong, fierce woman with fire yoryoku. So, that woman he dreamt of might be real after all?
"So, she must be the one Asta mentioned," Yosuga smiled, looking very excited right now.
Sukehiro looked at him as if he was somehow mad – well, a bit when it comes to the woman of his dreams – but then just shrugged it off, as he continued to explain the other captains to Ryuya-sama. "For the Green Mantises, sadly their captain died during the war against that Lucius bastard. Jack was practically unlimited craziness in person and he loved to slice through things. Ya probably would have gotten along, he was one of the best to drink with and to have friendly fights. I dunno who took over the squad, though."
"En Ringard and he is actually capable to take over the squad," Nacht added with a smile.
"Still don't know him, but okay. As for the Silver Eagles, we have Bird Braid-"
"Nozel Silva and he is my brother," Noelle intervened while brushing one of her pigtails of, somehow proud of her brother, maybe. Ichika noted that the young woman named Vanessa suddenly got shining eyes and a huge joy within her Ki once the name Nozel Silva fell. Did she have a crush on him?
"Yeah, their names are pretty similar, fantasy was probably lacking. Well, he is kinda cold and has probably a stick up his ass. But unlike king Augustus, he is not full of himself. I never saw him brag about his accomplishments and he at least respects strength, he also can have compassion sometimes. At least a bit, his Ki is often weird. He would maybe accept your offer. Just don't laugh when you see him, his frontal braid is stupid."
"No, it's not!" Noelle and Vanessa protested.
"Frontal braid? Oh, I NEED to see this, maybe I can try this hairstyle too!" Komari of course commented, her eyes shining with excitement.
Sukehiro looked at her with surprise, he probably didn't expect someone to be interested in a frontal braid. Well, Komari is. As for Ichika, she didn't want to judge. She knew that even though some hairstyles might be ridiculous on some people, on others though they could look actually amazing.
"Then we have the Coral Peacocks and their captain Sleepy Hat-"
"Dorothy Unsworth and she is a witch like me!"
"Yeah, what Vanessa say. She is mostly snoozing most of the time and probably is able to communicate with snoring when it's the case. But when she's awake, she's terribly chipper, like a cheeky child in the body of an adult. But she will accept the deal immediately. We also have the Aqua Deers, their captain is Glowing Hair-"
"Rill Boismortier!" Charmy yelled, sounding almost as she was praising a god.
"Yeah, I know, you don't need to yell that fucking name! Well, he is the youngest out of us, so very childish and very much an artist. Also a bit the clown of us. But he will certainly accept your offer, even more if you can tell him about the painting of Hino."
"I will certainly do, if he loves to paint."
"He does and it's also his yoryoku. Well, then we have the Blue Roses, a squad full of women only. Their captain is Prickly Queen-"
"Charlotte Roselei," Finral corrected.
"Yep, Charlotte Roselei. She might seem cold, but she is a caring woman. Strong and independent, but always there for her girls. She is someone good… Oh, you have met her already, so you saw how much she cares. Prickly Queen just needs to learn to rely a bit more on others, but she is fine and she will accept your offer immediately."
Ichika frowned. While her brother talked a tiny bit dismissive or unfocused about his other colleagues, it sounded like he really liked this Charlotte Roselei. From his Ki, it even seemed that he cared a lot about her.
Was… was her brother in love, maybe? Or at least having a crush?
"As for the last squad, we have the Purple Orcas and their Purple Moustache Grandpa captain."
"Kaiser Granvorka," the man named Zora corrected, sipping on his cup.
"Yeah, typical name for a moustache grandpa. He is the oldest and probably the most normal out of us. But he's fine, just calm and genuinely polite. The Purple Orcas had a corruption problem before he took over and he actually managed to make those scumbags knightly again. Plus, he is respectful and never judges, so you can get along with him. Well, that's all. Seems like that except for king Augustus and maybe that Diamond kiddo, everyone will accept to make affairs with you, so yer good."
"I'm happy to hear it, thank you for your intel. It will certainly help me when I meet them later today and I want to make a good impression. Okay, it might not work on that king, but I won't be too worried. If everyone else is ready to accept my offer, then I don't think that he'll have reasons to be against."
"Hopefully. He is a real pain in the ass. But at least not dangerous. That's the only good thing I can say about him."
The conversations continued, became more daily life like and Ichika focused on her breakfast plate again. In the meantime, she had finished her eggs and beacons, trying now some of those strange pastry bread called croissants. Those were really good, especially those filled with vanilla.
Honestly, she was a bit nervous about this meeting. Of course, she won't be alone and it wasn't the first time she would meet foreign people, she already made acquaintance with her brother's squad.
But the Black Bulls were a special case even in their own country, so wouldn't it be still difficult to meet more "normal" people? But apparently, except for the king, there would be no problem with the other people at this meeting.
Still, Ichika hoped that it would be fine. That there would be nothing bad happening.
With her own issues and unfinished business, especially with her brother, she might need to hold herself back at bit.
Feeling some eyes on them, Ichika looked up and surprised Nacht staring at her. He immediately looked down, focusing on his toasts with eggs.
Why was he staring at her so intensely?
And why did it make her feel so strange, but not in a bad way?
When Noelle entered Solids bedroom, Nebra was already there, sitting at his bed and reading a book. As for Solid, he was undoubtedly sleeping. Which was good, sleeping was a good way to heal from fever. And it was better to see him sleep more or less peacefully than seeing him in delirium when he was kinda awake.
Noelle saw an empty bowl on a silver tablet placed on the floor next to the bed. A subtle hint of chicken was hanging in the air.
Chicken broth was the traditional meal of the Silvas when one of them was sick. As well as fresh orange juice with a spoonful of honey or peppermint lemon tea. Noelle remembered that each time she got sick as a child, she had to eat chicken broth and that it was really helpful, not to mention delicious. Those memories of chicken broth never left her, to a point that she talked to Charmy about it and now, this was also a traditional dish for sick Black Bulls. Some complained, but it also worked with them.
Proving the healing capability of chicken broth.
That special broth also brought up another memory, one that was a bit painful but a bit soothing altogether. Every time Noelle became sick as a child, Nozel was there. Taking time in his terribly full schedule to look for her and making sure that she was taken care of when he couldn't be there. He even helped her eat her chicken broth when he could. Of course, without saying anything and he was still looking cold, like he always did back in those days, but he was still there.
Those moments of rare and subtle kindness from Nozel were actually the reasons why she still looked up to him despite all the pain and why she never stopped hoping to be one day on better terms with him, even when she finally got accepted by the Black Bulls, feeling like she won a family. But while she came to believe that she could only love Nebra and Solid from afar, the memories of Nozel looking after her when she was sick made her hope that at least Nozel would one day be closer to her.
Because if he really would have hated her back then, would he really have taken time to look after his little sister when she was sick?
And it happened, she was closer to Nozel today and even though no one can change the past pain, now Noelle knew the truth and she came to understand her brother. They still had some way to go, but they were on the right path.
During this past year, Nebra and Solid also learned the truth about their mother. Noelle wondered why Nozel hesitated so long before telling them the truth or to just send them to captain Dorothy like he did with her. But she might would have reacted in a similar way, if she would have been in his shoes, with all the complex issues.
Learning the truth actually allowed Nebra to make amends as well and now, Noelle was also growing to be on better terms with her sister. That was she never imagined would ever happen after she joined the Black Bulls, but she was certainly happy about it. Still not perfect, but they were making progress.
Maybe it had to be that way, that she heal the broken bond with one sibling at a time. Nozel first, now Nebra, next would hopefully be Solid.
After he would heal from his fever.
With Solid it might be the most difficult to mend their sibling bond, given that she suffered the most from him out of all three. But Noelle still wanted that. She was stronger now and she refused to held onto grudge. She saw what grudge could do to people when they only hold onto that. And if she made mend her bonds with Nozel and Nebra already, why not Solid too? Plus, she hasn't forgotten what he said to her during the attack of the elves, right before she went into the Shadow Palace. It might been not much, all things considered. But Noelle knew that coming from Solid, what he told her was a lot coming from him. And it had made her happy despite everything.
Yes, she was determined to be also on better terms with her other brother. And looking for him while he had fever, like Nozel did with her when she was a child, seemed like a good start.
Nebra looked up from her book as Noelle entered and took another armchair next to her. A small smile appeared on her lips. Her sister was already very pretty, but even more when she was smiling softly, not her usual smug smirk. When she saw Nebra smiling softly for the first time, it had taken Noelle aback. Not only because she wasn't use to see her sister like that, but also because it looked so similar to her own smile.
"You are here early," Nebra said, putting her book aside. "Haven't you mentioned that you will come with your captain and that he has a history to be late?"
"Yeah, but the guests from Hino will attend the urgency meeting as well and the Shogun – that's like the equivalent of Wizard King in Hino – wanted to make a good impression to the other monarchs and the captains, that's why it's very early."
"Good impression? Speaks for him, but I don't think it will work on our gaudy wannabe king."
Noelle huffed. This was really not respectful at all, but at the same time, so very true. Nebra might be very proud to be a royal, but she was clever enough to know that their king was clearly not an example to follow. And she had the strange hobby to put people back in their places. Which was apparently often the case with nobles.
"Do you… do you think that… we might get introduced to that Shogun?" Nebra asked, trying to sound uninterested as if it was just small talk, but there was some curiosity in her voice she couldn't quite hide.
Noelle smiled, amused. Getting closer to Nebra made her learn things about her sister that were quite surprising, but also cool. Like her interest for other countries and her eager to learn more about it. Even political levels. Nebra always had been the Silva who dealt most of the time with nobles, including attending at noble circles. Thanks to this, Nebra surprisingly developed some kind of diplomatic skills. Which would might come in handy, with guests from another continent altogether.
"I think so. The Shogun gave me the impression that he was very interested to make an alliance with the Clover Kingdom and the other three kingdoms."
"You can also say queendom for the other three, since they are mostly ruled by queens at the moment."
"Is that even a term?"
"Apparently yes. But well, it's a bit a complex matter to call a country a kingdom or a queendom, especially when both gender can be allowed on the throne. Which is the case with Clover, Diamond and Spade. As for the Heart Kingdom, well, they always had queens as you might know, so in this case it should rather be called the Heart Queendom instead. Although, calling it queendom while the other three countries of our continent are kingdoms might also sound weird, but that's probably more a matter of taste. Speaking of Heart, will the queen and her husband attend as well?"
"Oh yes, and I'm sure Lolopechka will be happy to see you again, Nebra."
After she learned that Nebra was interested in other countries but never had the occasion to be abroad before, Noelle jumped on the occasion and took her sister with her when Lolopechka invited her to her wedding with Gadjah. The Heart Queen had been very happy to meet Noelles sister, immediately taking liking to her. And Nebra made quite the impression on Lolopechka, because mist magic was apparently still very rare in the Heart Kingdom and even more if used in combat, like Nebra did.
Noelle smiled at the memory. This had been clearly one of the best memories she had with her sister.
"Nebra, do you also know some things about royalty and nobility in the Diamond Kingdom?"
"Well, of course I do. Learning about royalty in other countries should be standard education for Clover royalty, but since king Augustus is so full of himself and so dismissive of other kingdoms, it sadly was just optional. So, I had to go through it myself. If there's a petition to make royal education better, I will definitely sign it."
"That would be not such a bad idea," Noelle replied, actually surprised her sister took such an interest on a topic like how the royal education of Clover should be organized. But it also speaks for Nebra a lot and that made her glad. "Vice-captain Nacht mentioned that there was a lot of chaos and also corruption in the Diamond Kingdom lately, and now it's mostly exhausted."
"He's right, although it is a rather complicated situation. And the last king of Diamond was really a tyrant. Imagine king Augustus, but intelligent and dangerous. Thank God that this king is now dead. Even though there aren't many royals left, thanks to his paranoia. I pity the new Diamond queen, since she's only eleven and the heiress of an exhausted country. But house Neuschwanstein was one of the rare royal houses of Diamond to actually not be corrupt. Did you know that the royal and noble houses in Diamond are mostly named after their respective castles?"
"No, I didn't. That's actually different from how noble and royals houses are named in Clover."
"The naming system of houses in our country is a bit complicated. I have to admit that I prefer the one in Diamond. I think I have a book somewhere with all the royal and noble houses of the Diamond kingdom, as well as images of their respective castles. Castle Neuschwanstein is a true jewel of architecture, if you ask me. I'll show it to you. Once I find that stupid book. Maybe it's with my nightgowns. Or with my shampoos."
Which might take a while. Nebra was just like Vanessa when it comes to order. Or rather the lack of it. Those two were rather shambolic.
Would they get along? As much as Noelle was happy to be on better terms with her siblings, she wasn't sure yet if the Silvas would get along with the Black Bulls and the other way around. That might be probably not for the near future.
But right now it was fine. She wasn't as close to Nebra to the point that she was ready to share secrets with her, but compared to her childhood, it was a lot. And those talks with Nebra, be it about other countries, the gossip within nobility or their common strange love for spooky novels were flowing so well.
Happy moments after everything that happened with Lucius Zogratis, a distraction that might help to come back to a normal life, to rebuilt, to move on and come out of it stronger. This was definitely needed.
It was also a distraction for Noelles personal worries. Like Solid still bedridden in high fever. Or Asta in a coma, her own feelings for that idiot and the new knowledge that Nozel would sacrifice himself into an arranged marriage in order to give Nebra, Solid and Noelle freedom about their potential future partners.
Those three worries were actually pretty much connected with each other and Noelle still has no idea how to deal with it. Maybe Nebra shouldn't have told her that so soon after they almost witnessed the end of the world. But on the other hand, Noelle was also glad to be already aware of it. It was better than having to learn it later, when she was already together with Asta and when Nozel would announce he engaged himself to a noble bitch, allowing his sister and her boyfriend to be together.
And why was she already thinking about Asta as her boyfriend? They weren't together, he wasn't aware of her feelings, probably only saw her as a friend and he might need time after he finally moved on from his crush on that nun. Not to mention that there were still Mimosa and Rebecca who also were in love with him. Sally didn't count, she was crazy, and Nero was clearly not into Asta that way, thankfully.
"Is Solid alright?"
Noelle and Nebra jumped, but were relieved when they saw that Nozel was standing at the doorframe.
"He is calm for now, Nozel," Nebra replied. "I was able to make him eat a whole bowl of chicken broth for the first time. Still not very aware when he's more or less awake, but no deliria today so far."
"Good."
"Aren't you off to this urgency meeting already?"
"I'm going right now, actually. I just… I wanted to be sure if everything is alright with Solid."
"Noelle and I are here with him, don't worry. We'll be fine."
Nozel nodded, but didn't left immediately. There was a lot of pain in his lilac eyes, at least from what Noelle could tell. How must he feel after everything that happened, with mother as a paladin? And with the burden he had to carry alone for so many years? He was there for them, that is sure and Noelle loved his hugs. But did he have someone to lean on? Had he ever had someone who could have given him a shoulder to cry on?
Noelle find it unfair that Nozel was responsible alone and that no one was there for him. Okay, the Silva siblings were still awkward with each other and given the past they had, it was pretty much unsurprising.
But it was still unfair. Nozel needed someone. She didn't know about how Solid felt about it, but Nebra was definitely starting to take their oldest brother's burden into consideration. And Noelle wanted to be there for Nozel too. Since he had no one, he should at least lean on his siblings from time to time. At least on Nebra and herself, Solid couldn't be a rock for him while in a coma.
So, Noelle stood up from her armchair, went to her brother and put her arms around him. He had hugged her as comfort after what happened with Lucius Zogratis and Noelle had loved it, despite the last bits of awkwardness.
She felt Nozel freeze a bit, but thankfully he put an arm around her as well.
"You still have us, brother, never forget that," she whispered.
Nozel didn't answer, but she could feel that he was agreeing. Although… there was a bit like something he left unspoken. But this was probably just her imagination.
Charlotte sighed as she descended Risaccas broom. Normally she would have flown herself to a captains meeting, especially such an important one like today. But she didn't really trusted her control yet. The death of Flore, everything that happened with Lucius and her spiral of love full of Yami, it wasn't really helping her to get a full grip on herself.
She was grateful that her vice-captain noted immediately that she wasn't feeling like herself and that instead of pointing it out, she just suggested to take her on her broom. Risacca was always someone who preferred to act with subtility instead of asking directly in an overwhelming way.
A sigh left her lips, as she looked up to the Magic Knight Headquarters. It looked like always, barely got destroyed during the war against Lucius Zogratis. But it was still a foreign feeling to come back here after everything that happened. Even the raid in Spade hadn't left her with such an uneasy feeling for her first captain meeting afterwards.
Of course, Charlotte suspected that the feeling of everything going fine after Spade had been part of Lucius' plan. And this meeting was not a normal captains meeting, but officially called an urgency meeting by Marx. The captains weren't the only ones attending today, but also the Clover King, the Heard Queen, the new Diamond Queen and the queen regent of Spade, not to mention the leader of Hino with three of his subordinates.
Hino… the Land of the Sun… Yamis homeland… Yami…
Even after everything that happened, even though she had other things to think about, like her duty as a captain or all the rebuilt the kingdom needed in many ways, she just couldn't stop thinking of him.
More than even before, at this point Charlotte couldn't fight against it anymore.
Why should she even stop fighting thinking about the man she loved anyway? She loved Yami for a decade already and with each year passing, the more she loved him. It became so clear this past year and even more during that war against Lucius Zogratis. She was gone so far with her feelings that Charlotte suspected she might even reached some point of no return lately.
Maybe even more than one over the years.
She needed to sort those things out between them.
Charlotte groaned silently. She had told this herself so often, especially during the last year, following her desperate confession back in Spade.
And she hadn't made one step forward. She still run from Yami when he was talking to her and now she even had been unable to properly speak with him most of the time. How pathetic was this?
Charlotte still remembered how Yami invited her for tea just before the first battle against Lucius Zogratis. It was practically burnt into her mind and her heart even after the whole war. It was finally an opportunity to talk everything out, to make him understand how she truly felt about him.
And it came from him! He did the first step.
But… when could they have that tea date?
Charlotte felt really ashamed to have such selfish desires when the situation was still dire and that selflessness was in order to help all of those people. But at the same time, she had waited and hesitated for so terribly long, it would be a miracle if she had still some patience in her to wait a bit longer.
And what if Yami didn't loved her back? What if he had someone else in his heart, like the witch of his squad or someone else? What if he was actually more into men? What if he wasn't interested in romance at all?
Would Charlotte be strong enough to accept a rejection coming from him?
To be perfectly honest with herself, she doubted that she might have that strength.
"Captain Charlotte?"
"What is it, Risacca?"
"Are you thinking about captain Yami?"
Charlotte wasn't even surprised or flustered that Risacca exactly knew what was haunting her mind. Among other things, of course, but mostly Yami. Her squad were always so supportive of her, that each of them were able to recognize each and every mimic Puli called her Yami-Faces.
"I'm nervous…"
"Of course."
Charlotte was grateful that Risacca was not talking much or asking questions. Talking about her love for Yami would only make her only more nervous and she needed all of her focus on her and the future of the kingdom.
But talking to Yami himself… Maybe it would be a step forward in their unfinished business. And she was desperate talk to him.
She entered the Magic Knight Headquarters and moved towards the usual meeting chamber. It was really foreign to walk those familiar hallways.
Risacca and her weren't the first ones here, though. After a few steps, she recognized two familiar faces.
"Queen Lolopechka. Sir Gadjah."
"Oh, captain Charlotte, it's so wonderful to see you again!"
The Heart Queen immediately rushed towards her, but her husband was still holding her, preventing her from falling down. And looking closely, Charlotte understood why Gadjah was even more attentive of her.
Lolopechkas belly wasn't flat anymore.
"Oh, I didn't know… You are expecting? Congratulations."
"Yes! They actually wanted to wait a bit before we announce it on a later date, but given the circumstances…" replied Undine, who was sitting on Lolopechkas shoulder in her tiny form.
"If it's a boy, we want to name him Noel. And if it's a girl, either Nebula or Nereïda."
Well, it wasn't difficult to realize who they wanted to honour with the male name. Charlotte observed Gadjah and was touched by how tenderly he looked at his queen and wife. But sadly, she couldn't help but feel a bit envious, looking at the happy couple.
Would she one day be like that with Yami? Would he look at her this lovingly as well, while she would be expecting his child?
Why was she thinking about things like that again in such a situation?
"This is Risacca, she is my vice-captain," she said, to not let those feelings and wishes overwhelm her right here, right now.
Risacca bowed in front of the Heart Queen, while Charlotte decided to move forward a bit. She hadn't realized it, but there were already a few people present, ready for the meeting. Queen Ciel was accompanied by a red-haired man, one of Spade's knights if Charlotte remembered correctly. A black-haired man with his shirt open on his chest, revealing a scar, was holding the hand of a probably eleven year old girl. She had bright lilac hair, falling like a waterfall on her shoulders and pale pink eyes. She was holding a white teddy bear in her arms and on her forehead were three purple gems.
This must be Lavendel Neuschwanstein, the new queen of the Diamond Kingdom. Poor child, it must be such a burden to get on the throne after such a difficult time.
The rulers of Heard, Diamond and Spade were also already here. Of course king Augustus would be probably late. Charlotte groaned. It was probably cruel to think that way, but it was such a shame that king Augustus wasn't at least been terribly injured during the attack, keeping him away from important matters for a while.
She saw Nozel arriving with his own vice-captain, Agatha Austen, who immediately started to chat with Risacca. Rill came with his butler, Kaiser was accompanied by a young and nervous man, William and Yuno followed them. Charlotte saw how queen Ciel immediately run towards her son to hug him tightly. There were two Green Mantises she didn't recognized immediately, a thin man with glasses and a very young girl. Oh, yes, it was true. Jack wasn't among them anymore. She actually misses him a bit, they became squad captains at the same time. May he rest in peace.
Dorothy came along with Kirsch Vermillion, while Fuegoleon was accompanied by Mereoleona and a young woman, member of the Crimson Lions. Charlotte didn't know her well, she only remembered that her name was Lital. And she noted that Lital was holding Fuegoleons arm in some kind of comforting way.
Wait, did her colleague of the Crimson Lions have a girlfriend and no one knew?
And now, she was feeling a bit envious again… Where were the Black Bulls, where was Yami? Why was she longing for him so terribly, while she was unable to fully focus on the most urgent duties?
"Prickly Queen?"
Charlotte jumped as she heard this familiar rough voice behind her. There he was, in the company of his vice-captain and four people she didn't know, but she had seen them during the final battle and the one with the eyepatch was in Yamis company… the night Flore died. The guests from Hino.
"Hello, Yami, Nacht. And you are our allies from Hino. Welcome to Clover. Well, as welcomed anyone can be after what happened. Thank you for your help."
The man with the eyepatch – Charlotte recalled that Yami called him Ryu – came to her and took her hands respectfully while slightly bowing in front of her.
"We all helped each other during this battle, Charlotte-sama. If I may, I repeat my deepest condolences for your recent loss."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry, but I don't know your name."
"No wonder, we haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is Ryudo Ryuya, an old friend of Yami here. I'm the shogun of Hino, the equivalent to the Wizard King in Clover. It's nice to meet you despite the circumstances."
"Charlotte Roselei, captain of the Blue Rose squad. One of… Yamis colleagues."
And deeply in love with him, but she couldn't say that out loud. Not like this, not in front of other people than Yami.
"Yami can certainly be lucky to have a friend like you. Those three are my subordinates, Komari Imari."
"Oh, you have such beautiful hair! And your eyes are shining like bright aquamarines! Are they natural? Oh, yes they have to be, it's so amazing!"
"Yosuga Mushogatake."
"Are you the fierce woman with fire magic?"
"What? No, that wouldn't be me. It's actually that woman over there, Mereoleona Vermillion. The one with the red hair and red cape."
The man named Yosuga looked in the direction she was pointing and strangely enough, he wasn't scared about the view of Mereoleona scaring the man who accompanied the little Diamond Queen, on the contrary, he seemed eagerly excited for some reason. Charlotte didn't know if she wanted to know more.
"And Yami Ichika."
Yami? Yami? This young girl was named Yami? Charlotte took a closer look at her… and was taken aback by how similar she looked to Yami. The traits were softer, of course, but it was undoubtedly someone related to Yami.
Charlotte bowed a bit, unable to say anything. She never would have thought to meet someone from Yamis family back in Hino. Heck, he was living in Clover for so long already and when she thought about his family, she had the Black Bulls in mind. Not really someone from Hino.
But it did make sense that he had also some family in Hino. Oh, he could have been an orphan back there, but him having family wasn't that far-fetched at all. And given how similar this woman looked to him, there was no denying that.
But Yami Ichika? Not Ichika Sukehiro? What was that supposed to mean?
Ichika looked at her with her unreadable grey eyes – the same grey shade as Yami – and bowed respectfully in front of her.
"It is an honour to meet you, Charlotte-sama. I'm Ichika. I'm Sukehiros sister."
Sister… This was his sister. Yamis sister.
Charlotte nodded politely towards her, but Ichika didn't seem in the mood for chatter, she just followed her Shogun, who was presenting himself to queen Lavendel, while the woman called Komari was in full admiration about the hair colour of the little girl.
Now, she maybe was not alone in the hallway, but alone in front of the love of her life.
Taking a deep breath, Charlotte took all her courage together and directly looked at him. His dark grey eyes had a softness within them she barely witnessed with him, at least when it's was about her.
He also looked at her that way, the night Flore died. When he stood with her, giving her a shoulder to cry on. Hadn't Yami always told her that it was good to rely on others? No matter what, he never forgot to tell that to her.
"I… I haven't properly shown gratitude when you kept me company after Flores death. So… thank you, Yami."
"Don't mention that, Prickly Queen. I couldn't leave ya alone when you just lost someone dear to ya. I really hope ya didn't lose more people afterwards."
"Two other girls, but they died on the battlefield with bravery. Flore was the only one who got a deadly wound. I'm grateful that she was able to die with peace."
"Crap. Sorry about that."
"It was a war, Yami. Death is always a high risk during war. But of course, it is more difficult for the people who survived, who are left behind."
"Ya tell me. None of my idiots died, but none of them feel fully relieved after that. Don't worry, they're glad that none of them died. But they feel sad for all the others that had died on the battlefield."
"That is very kind of them."
"And naïve. Those idiots were actually shocked that people died, they really didn't take that risk into consideration. It was a hard reality check for them. But maybe they needed that, as cruel as it sound."
"I can't blame them. After there were no death in Spade, even though it was all Lucius' work… I wish I could have been at least a bit naïve like them."
"Don't wish that, Prickly Queen. The reality hits the hardest when you are naïve. My brats probably needed that lesson. Well, not Nacht, he was already not naïve from the start. But the rest? It was a harsh lesson, I admit, but probably needed."
"Don't you fear that they will lose their confidence after that?"
"Nah, those idiots always stood up after a big hit, that one won't change that. They will probably be cautious to not let their confidence become overconfidence now. I hope at least, but I think that I can trust them on that."
Charlotte couldn't help but smile. Yami might show very tough love towards his squad, but it was clear that he cared for all of them. She was actually relieved that he didn't lost someone of his squad and she knew that the other captains, instead of being envious, were sharing this sentiment. At least one of them wasn't going through that kind of loss.
Even though the Black Bulls still felt bad for those who died. They were good people, that was certain.
"Yami?"
"Hm?"
"I apologize that I ask this question, but… how does it feel to meet people from your homeland after all those years?"
Especially your sister…
"Honestly? A bit weird. I've spent too many years here, so that I'm not used to other Hino people anymore. But it's not bad. I knew Ryu from childhood, so it's still nice to see him again. And my sister even more. It's just… It's been so long and… let's just say for now that it was complicated. We both don't know how to talk with each other. Last time I saw her, she was six and went through shit. So, I need to figure that out."
"I'm sure you will. I understand why it can be difficult to talk after you weren't in contact for so long. But, I have a question. Yami Ichika? Not Ichika Sukehiro?"
"Wot? Oh, that. Yeah, in Hino, it's usual to say the family before the first name. I didn't know that it was the other way around in Clover, so when I say my name to old man Julius, I said it like I was used to and he immediately assumed that Yami was my first name."
"And… you haven't thought to correct him later?"
"No that you mention it… Nah, I didn't? In Hino, it's also usual to call people by your family name, except when you are very close to them, so maybe it was because of that? I don't know, maybe I'm now confused about my name order as well. But no big deal. Ya know, Prickly Queen, if ya want, ya can name Sukehiro."
"Oh… I… this is… This is very nice of you. But give me some time first to get used to it."
"No probs."
If he allowed her to call him Sukehiro… Would that mean that based on his culture, he considered her as someone close to her? That she meant that much to him? Charlotte felt her heart racing in her chest.
She felt herself blushing and the familiar urge to run away in panic was tickling her legs again. But Charlotte forced herself to stay right here this time, to even look at him. Gosh, his eyes were still so soft, softer than he ever looked at her before. He looked so rough, but right now so soft as well.
Charlotte eyes automatically went to his lips. How much did she dreamt of her first kiss with Yami? Were his lips soft or rough? Or both? And was she able to hold herself back or would she finally give in and put her own lips on his?
"Oh, there you are!"
Charlotte jumped and Yami did as well. Only then she realized that they were the only ones left within this hallway. Everyone else was already in the meeting chamber, except for Marx, who actually came looking for them. The poor man was still wearing black, grieving for Julius, but his eyes were kind.
"King Augustus is late, so the meeting hasn't started. But… if you two want to talk in private…"
"Nah, Mushroom Head, we're coming."
Marx just nodded slowly, looking like he didn't really believed Yami. Charlotte couldn't help but blush again. Marx knew. And she had the uneasy feeling that he wasn't the only one.